A Horror Story for America – With A Philly Connection
Long before European Colonials engaged in leisure swimming in the Schuylkill River and at the Jersey Shore, the native Lenni Lenape were utilizing the area.
Colonial Philadelphians have followed suit since the formation of Philadelphia in the late 1680s, and even by Benjamin Franklin in the 1720s.
It’s a sport and leisure activity that we’ve taught in high school gym class, used as a competition in our local colleges, and utilized ourselves for relaxation.
Almost 125 years ago, a series of terrifying events gripped the New Jersey shore when five shark attacks occurred against swimmers. The first victim — twenty-five-year-old Charles Vansant — a Philadelphia stockbroker, would dive into the Ocean with a dog that he had found on the beach before taking supper.
Moments later, those on the beach heard Vansant screaming. A Beach Haven lifeguard brought Vansant back to shore. Badly bitten — he would pass away on the Manager’s desk of the hotel in which he was vacationing. His grave is in Laurel Hill Cemetery.
In less than two weeks, four other bathers would be attacked.
Three of them died.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
It’s been 50 years since Steven Spielberg’s first movie, Jaws — the horror film that was the first major motion picture — was released. The suspense/horror film, which affected summer vacation revenue in 1975, made Jersey Shore goers think twice about entering the water.
Perhaps the most intriguing character in the movie — Quint — is a survivor of the USS Indianapolis disaster while delivering the Atomic Bomb that was dropped during World War II in 1945, and his role as a shark hunter and finder.
Fishing in New Jersey’s shoreline also dates all the way back to the Lenni Lenape, who fished areas like the island of Ocean City and the area around Atlantic City. When the Delaware Valley became a hotspot for vacationers, Ocean City was even a popular whaling spot.
Today, the Jersey Shore is one of the most popular fishing destinations in the United States. Each summer, hundreds of fishermen take day-long trips to fish in the Atlantic Ocean.
Jaws would become one of the thrillers of all time. And it makes people look twice while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.
A story that originated with an unfortunate Philly connection.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
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